Prospect
by MetaMirage
Summary: What does it matter if your machines are plastic and metal or real flesh and bone with a beating heart? They still end up serving the same twisted purpose. They are still born without a soul. SasuSaku AU
1. Chapter 1

'_Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden' are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. _

**Check out the Glossary at the end of each chapter for detailed terms.**

(Re-edited chapter)

* * *

**PROSPECT**

_PostCounterClockwise_

* * *

The world remembers me. History will frame me as a victim, paint me as a rebel but portray me as a warrior. Now? People immortalise me for their own agenda but most just want me dead. Yet I have always said memory is like looking through a dark and dirty window in the rain. Shadowy recall is riddled with inaccuracy. It can never be mirror image. There will always be a level of scepticism in my story, a corrosion eating away the edge of reality.

That doesn't mean I shouldn't tell it. This is my flawed testament. This is my shallow beginnings.

One

I clung to the bar for precious life, avoiding the peripheral landmines I called 'co-workers'.

"Sakura!"

My name was being called over a bass line that could bring me out of a coma. I abandoned the cool metallic lines of the bar to dodge through the heated crowd. Boss Matsuda would be watching and I had to push down the panic.

"Where'd she go!?"

Sometimes I wondered what I was still doing in Enoch**(1)** but when my shift was over those city streets never did look as appealing. Squeezing off the dance floor I tripped over a just hideous shoe. I had never seen such sacrilege.

"We've been looking for you," was bleated in my ear. "Boss wants you in the cradle."

I straightened up, looking past the offending hoof to his not-worth-remembering face. Blinking dumbly at the innocent smile I had armed myself with.

"Really?" I lied sweetly, "I had no idea."

* * *

The cradle was snug between the VIP bar and the back and always impossibly dark and quiet. Wires wrapped around the entire room, overlapping and bypassing. Despite the eerie glow, I had always liked the gentle hum.

Naturally Boss Matsuda spent most of his time here hanging from the rafters.

"And once again the smart girl is incredibly stupid."

I could make out his thick neck and coarse greying hair over the leather. Keen eyes set on the monitors in front of him. He thought he was really something, Boss Matsuda. Being a warlord does that to a man I guess. Although Enoch was under democratic rule nobody could ignore the dim shadow this man cast over the East side.

His gravelly voice continued, "You know no one gets past that door unless I authorize it."

I almost rolled my eyes because if he was going brag about his superior security system from the outside world, I had somewhere else to be.

"Sorry Boss Matsuda," I tried "I have an exam at-"

"The doors to this office cannot be penetrated in anything less than 18 hours," he cut off sounding almost smug and I sighed. He did feel like bragging. Most of all though he needed someone to behave as the audience he sorely desired. A role I had been playing since fifteen.

"Anyone would think with all these precautions," I said carefully "that you have something to hide."

His laugh had always reminded me of a clap of thunder. It was something brutal like the face he turned on me, shadows creeping into each crevice, every wrinkle and upper lip curled back in dire amusement.

"You never seize to amaze me," he said vaguely. Then the half smile fell and eyes hardened, "Finally civilization is able to control its biological destiny and they are running scared? Hiding behind their precious ethics, crushing the substance of dreams with trivial morality… too weak to step over the threshold to greatness…"

He stood sharply almost knocking his chair over.

"We do not hide in this city Sakura! The wall was not built to keep the heathens in; it was built to keep those dictators out!"

I was unflinching at the outburst. Hardly anyone would describe him as a passionate man, but they didn't know him like I did. He was always telling me Enoch was rotting but insisted the outside world was nothing but wasteland. The same amused expression etched upon his face once again, "But yes, as you were saying, I suppose there is now something worth hiding. You're an educated woman. I find them to be the most appreciative."

I didn't like the look in his eyes.

"You will be back here in 8 hours," he ordered.

"But I'm not shifted on until Tuesday!" I retorted hotly. He was unbelievable calling me into the cradle for simple roster stuff. "Not that I wouldn't say no to more shifts but-"

"I'm not just talking about behind the bar Sakura," he said with a knowing sneer. "I'm talking about bearing witness."

I frowned in confusion. "Bearing witness to what exactly?"

He didn't answer and I had no idea what he meant. What was he hiding? Then it hit me.

"Where are you going?"

I couldn't let anything distract me. No matter what he was up to, it was none of my concern. I had more important things to focus on.

I replied, "I have an appointment with G.O.D."

* * *

When I was little, one well placed sterilized band-aid could make anything better. I had been the biggest cry baby. The sight of my own blood, a disappointed sigh from my father or the absence of a happily ever after could all bring me to tears. But the second I slapped on that adhesive bandage, that cold and unwanted feeling was replaced with warm buttery goodness.

"You are the top 0.2 percent in the country; the city of Enoch's finest. So I do not need to remind you that this is the opportunity of a lifetime."

This is what G.O.D.**(2)** meant to me, it was like one giant, sterilized band-aid.

"This coveted position will offer paid internship within G.O.D."

I had been dreaming of a job as a doctor here since I was twelve. I looked away from the lecturing white coat to the test screen in front of me. There were six of us. After this exam there would be two but I was more than ready.

However, the mousy-brown haired boy next to me was anything but. He gave a violent twitch and it was obvious he hadn't gotten any sleep. I exhaled taking in the whitewash walls, the pristine floor and the almost nauseating smell of antiseptics. G.O.D. was so bright, so pure. Unlike the darkness of the club I left. This was where I truly belonged.

"Good luck," the proctor said smoothly. "And begin."

* * *

_Which rheumatologic disorder has been associated with L-tryptophan vitamins?_

It clicked quickly, Eosinophilic Myalgia Disorder. I had it all figured out. An average 45 seconds per question for an hour and a half exam. I had excelled with 4 remaining questions and 6 minutes left on the clock. G.O.D offered no preparation, no indication of what we would be tested on. It had been all too much for Nervous Boy when he left 17 minutes in. Suffering through his heavy breathing and whimper in response to each new question had been worth it. My dreams chances were now two in five.

Before I could start the next question my eyes darted to the door when it burst open. A man stumbled in and collapsed making me leap to my feet. All I could think; _was this part of the test_?

The guy pulled himself up, kept his head down and began to crawl. Something in my mind snapped like a cheap rubber band. Why wasn't I rushing over there? Why wasn't I helping him? There was someone in trouble, gasping and suffering.

But ultimately my competition wasn't moving, maybe not even giving him a glance as they feverishly answered question after question. There was an upper hand and I was losing it. The exam meant everything. It meant _more_ than everything. I sunk back to my seat when he hoisted himself into Nervous Boy's vacant chair. Two more answers had me looking over to the panting mess besides me, only to realise he was no mess at all.

He was state of the art. A prominent jaw line and a flawless face with a demanding sense of exact symmetry. Possessing such raw asexuality any gender (or half gender) would deem him attractive. His parents must have paid a fortune. No way was anyone born that perfect.

He turned on me and quickly I doubted everything. The eyes were a disaster. A truly blank stare greeted me, irises so dark they were lost within themselves. It had the charm of some lowly animal, flat and sad. I blinked at the fresh cyber-black X across his hand. He was a Rattus**(3)** for the day. He had obviously finished an experiment and gotten lost.

He pretended to be engrossed with the exam when the door burst open again. I bit my lip at the sight of the proctor, signalling the exam was almost over. I shakily got one answer before the screen shut down. Suddenly I was flooded with the emotion of fast approaching tears. I had missed one answer and it could cost everything.

"Time is up. We will be issuing call backs for the top two scores in seven days. You may leave the premises."

There was a scraping of chairs as we all filed out; I kept staring at his back as if that would give me some solace. It didn't.

* * *

I tugged on my skin tight sleeve. The alcohol stains on the black fabric became even darker in the light and the effect was like bugs smashed against a windscreen. I wished there had been time to change after work or take my Sancall pills, might have helped get my mind straight.

"Next."

Removing the visitors pass from around my neck, the two talking people in front of me did likewise. A strong sense of regret had followed me from the exam room. It wasn't because I didn't finish the last question... but because I didn't go over and see if that guy was alright.

"Next!"

I wanted to become a doctor to help people but when I had my chance I didn't even move. Silently I made a firm resolve to never freeze up again, regardless of the cost. It was an awful feeling handing over the pass. What if I never saw the inside of G.O.D again?

"Next!"

I certainly didn't deserve too at that point. I went through the barrier into the lobby looking back at all I might miss. The sculpted marble foyer was breathtaking. I hadn't even seen the labs then but I still ached. My attention shot back through the barrier when there was a disapproved mumble. The line was being jumped. I recognised the guy that barged in on the exam instantly. He'd disappeared down the labyrinth of halls and I watched as he went through the barrier with ease. He was eager to get home.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?"

And failing. He froze but there was still something very self-appointed about the way he stood, as if he could never be truly caught off guard. A security officer lurched from his counter.

"Did you just come past the barrier?" he questioned, sounding unsure. He was red in the face before demanding "You can't just leave without giving back your visitors pass!"

The guy turned with a completely void expression. He should have left with his experiment group but had accidently strayed. It would take hours to identify and clear him. I bit my lip as I was once again given a choice I may very well regret. My decision became final.

"Where is your pass?"

Driven by a mixture of guilt, my promise and the overwhelming urge to seize an opportunity I gave a high pitched squeal. Wide eyed and appreciative I was in the guy's arms instantly.

"You came to pick me up!" I said in a happy surprise before giving a slight frown "But I thought you had work?"

He caught on quick, pushing his dark hair out his eyes, "I had to see you."

His hand felt limp as I dragged it away from his face, taking liberties I really should have thought twice about. Caught in the moment I came up on my toes to kiss him. He squeezed my collarbone warningly but had no choice but to kiss back. His level of self-control seemed almost arrogant but it still felt electric.

I finally turned to the guard with my sweetest smile. It could melt the heart of grandmothers everywhere. "I'm sorry. I told him we could meet at the entrance. That's _if_ he was coming."

I turned back with a grin. "Couldn't stay away could you?"

His expression was completely unreadable and it made my stomach flip. It was the dead, unsettling eyes. It was hard to comprehend anything going on behind them that wasn't primal instinct.

"Uhh..." the security said gruffly, clearly embarrassed by our delicate proffer of affection. His stuck expression was quick to recover with a half-snarl, "I'm just sick of you kids bending visiting passes. They're laminated for a good reason!"

He stalked back to his counter before I was steered toward the door with strong arms.

* * *

"Was I thinking on my feet or what?" I congratulated myself, expecting he would soon be doing the same. I wanted to hear that deep, smooth voice again. So I asked him, "What's your name?"

His hold on me was less intimate than stranglehold and he did two things in response to my question, set his eyes on the parking lot camera and then fixed me with firm glare. It made me nervous. So I kept talking.

"My name is Sakura by the way. In case you wanted to know."

We finally hit the street and the way he cast me off should have made it clear he didn't even want to know I existed. He quickened his step, moving around the boarded up entrance of the underground. Trying to keep up was difficult, it was like he had a million other places he had to get to.

"Hey! Where you going?"

It was an awful feeling to finally realise he was ignoring me. It was something I couldn't stand. It made me feel like a little kid. _Useless. Helpless. Unwanted._

"HEY!"

Anger was a scary thing in the human animal and I had always been a prime example, catecholamines, adrenaline and noradrenaline all ruling me. I broke into a run, narrowly avoiding some little old lady in the crowd and grabbed his wrist.

"I saved you back there if you didn't notice!" I snapped.

He just kept walking. Wrestling his hand from mine like a knee jerk reaction and gave a curt, "I don't have time for this."

I simply gaped at his retreating back. My mouth was running dry and my face felt flustered and hot. It didn't matter about all the people around or my teetering dignity when I hollered after him furiously. "No time?! Oh I'm sorry I forgot I was talking to the most important person on the planet! Who- by the way- also happens to be the biggest jerk!"

He couldn't even spare two seconds to tell me his name but that was not what I found most infuriating. It was looming over me like a swinging pendulum, the one thing _civilized_ human beings do when someone just saved their ungrateful ass.

"You're a charmer aren't you!" I snarled, "What? I don't even get a thank you?!"

He finally stopped and l was ignorantly hopeful at the reproached look on his face. Then he smirked at me. "It didn't kill you," he decided coolly and had the nerve to flip me off! I was livid chasing after him but he disappeared into that crowd so fast he may as well have evaporated.

* * *

There was a natural order.

_SMASH._

And that ungrateful jerk had broken it. Broken like the shattered rack of glasses before me.

"Calm down girlie," one of the sheep patronized, giving me a bleak grin. He was beyond amused and luckily shooed away by Boss Matsuda before I pitched a glass at his oversized nose.

Boss Matsuda rested his hands on the VIP bar and I brushed off his prying gaze by busying myself with the broken glass. Throwing the rack into the bin with a loud cracking sound was liberating. It made me want to slam doors.

"Glad it's not me," he mused and it _might_ have been a demented attempt to cheer me up. I couldn't tell when I was in a furious state of mind. Boss Matsuda could sense my anger. On some level it always intrigued him. Despite being in a closed club I didn't resent him for it. Not even for the lack of sleep. I could only be truly wound up about one thing at a time and then it was that _guy_. That creepy eyed, insufferable, ungrateful-

"Sakura?"

Once he caught my attention Boss Matsuda smiled at me with a rare and genuine expression of glee. He was even in his favourite suit. I sighed, "I don't think I have ever seen you this happy."

He nodded at my observation and I continued half joking, "Should I be scared?"

"Not for yourself," he offered before another of his minions stalked over. It was the lone wolf among his herd of sheep. A man named Aleksander, quick and calculating and trusted to be something more than sheer muscle.

"They're here," he said plainly and Boss Matsuda readjusted his lavender tie, eyes set and hungry.

"It begins."

* * *

**Glossary**

**(1) Enoch:** City name. Enoch is the only state to remove all bio-engineering laws; this allows genetic research and creation without restriction. The city is heavily segregated from the rest of the world.

**(2) G.O.D:** stands for Genetics Occupation Division, a prevalent scientific institution that is highly influential in bio-engineering projects and is the primary provider of health care within Enoch.

**(3) Rattus:** People who volunteer themselves for scientific trials and experiments. Easily distinguished by cross stamps. Almost every citizen has participated in at least one trial before. Comes from Rattus Norvegicus (brown rat) the most common type of animal used in testing. Lab rat and guinea pig had too many negative connotations so this term was glamorised.


	2. Chapter 2

'_Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden' are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. _

**Check out the Glossary at the end of each chapter for detailed terms.**

PostCounterClockwise: I am nervous/scared about this update. This story has been through serious changes to the point it is almost unrecognisable. Feedback is greatly appreciated and will help me decide if I should continue or delete the story. I'm sick of it in so many ways but in others it's my (messy, confusing and inappropriately phrased) baby. UGH!

* * *

**PROSPECT**

_PostCounterClockwise_

* * *

Two 

I had only felt this way once before. Like I wasn't present and there was only stillness inside of me. When my dad died, just for a moment, the world stopped turning. Just enough for me to realise that from that point on everything was going to change. Before the horror sets in, the feelings of grief and pain…

Everything is still.

"I thank you all for coming."

The people Boss Matsuda thanked were the root of everything bad. I had seen them all before, but only in my nightmares was it all at once. Sitting around the table were the rulers of Enoch's underworld, the North side gangsters Parker, Moreno and a woman known only as Annett. They tore up the North side trying to annihilate each other with gang wars and notorious terrorist acts. They didn't care about the civilians caught in the crossfire. All that mattered was control.

Thinking about how Boss Matsuda had managed to achieve a council with all three, at the same time, almost made me haemorrhage.

"Get to the point," was interrupted coldly.

One of the sheep snarled and a ripple effect passed over the table. Trigger fingers twitched, shoulders squared and men readied themselves for the fight. When the three 'honoured' guests jumped up drawing their own weapons I begun to move, bringing the cool metal tray to my chest as fear strung out my spine. How easily I could be killed. It could all be over in seconds.

It was Parker, the man with the most dangerous reputation in the room, that had rudely interrupted. His disregard for life was matched only by his consuming paranoia.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," Boss Matsuda broke in calmly before gesturing toward Annett "And of course ladies. I have not called us here too argue. If you would take your seats I would be happy to explain how I am going to expand your territories to the South and West sectors and make you all insanely wealthy."

There was a moment of tension before weapons were lowered, what he was promising to intriguing to pass up. Money was how he got them to set aside their bloody feud for a council. He cleared his throat.

"This city, once a beacon of free reigning thought and creation, is dying. Our political leaders are unstable and incompetent and the threat of war from enemy nations is constantly on the horizon. We, with substantial military and civil support, are blamed for these atrocities. The government singles us out on their witch hunt to compensate for its own failures. With each new day we are finding the fruit of our labours is rotten to the core. What I am asking of you, is your support."

There was a pause around the table when Boss Matsuda took a sip of whisky. There was promise in his voice instead of the discontent we had all grown accustomed to. But this city wasn't dying, it was corrupted. Corrupted by people like Parker, Moreno and Annett.

"The problem is, ladies and gentleman, that these streets are decrepit. Why? The government. The solution?"

He enjoyed our full attention so much he paused for effect.

"Independence from the state," he answered fiercely. "With your help we will take this city by force."

* * *

The sudden murmur around the table was interrupted by the clatter of the drinks tray falling to the floor. My fingers had become limp and body numb. Matsuda was planning to take control of Enoch? He would be executed for such treachery.

"This is madness," Annett broke in, getting to her feet and her entourage followed. "Conspiring against the Father**(1)** with nothing but your pretty little words is suicide. I will have no part."

Boss Matsuda also stood but opened his arms wide. "You think all I would arm us with is words? No, I have something remarkable to show you. If you will all follow me."

He stood and gestured and I was shaking on the spot. _Come along Sakura, come along_. _This is what I wanted to show you. _He was directing them to the holder, through the hallway near the Cradle. I shakily tailed them and couldn't help but feel my entire adolescence was spent hopelessly following the will of this man like a child's toy pulled along by string.

"You are all much too young to remember that it wasn't always like this," he started conversationally. "At one point our suppressors were with us. They supported us in the removal of genetic engineering laws. They supported freedom. Enoch was born."

His voice drifted when we entered the holder. The second I stepped inside my skin began to clam up. A sharp intake of breath had me feeling a bone chilling snap of cold, the raging burn of an out of control fire.

"Then they turned on us. The miracle of Enoch had become an 'affront', an 'abomination'. They were afraid. They were _weak_."

There was _something_ in that room. It was packed among all the crates, squashed in-between negative space. I breathed. The air was thick. It was loaded.

"It happened without warning. The power cut, the boarder occupied. Armies denying fresh supplies while killing all those who opposed. Children starved-"

"We are familiar with the blockade," Moreno broke in waspish.

We all nodded in agreement, united in feelings of unrest. We understood the outside world had tried to obliterate Enoch and yet in the ultimate act of defiance the city still stood. I was on edge when I finally caught the unrecognizable. It glistened. A silver brief case with a hazard sign plastered across the front.

He sneered at the irritation in Moreno's voice, "Of course. Then you know the role of the Cell**(2)** was vital for the cities survival. It was forced upon drastic times, the development of an alternative source of energy. With the only thing left."

"People power…" I breathed "Literally…"

When they cut the electricity, Enoch developed its own energy. Taken from individuals compatible with the new cell technology, it was these people that allowed Enoch to survive long enough to make a deal for a new energy facility. I had always felt deeply moved by these peoples sacrifice, adapting energy cost them their life.

"That's right Sakura," Boss Matsuda praised. His footsteps sounded like a somber drum beat against the concrete floor, a rhythmic death march. But I couldn't turn away. Not when I could see everything.

He lifted the lid. Fear came to life within that brief case, it manifested in a tight metal coil and violently intense light.

"Do any of you know what this is? What I have been able to accomplish?"

It was the rainbow… reds, oranges and the most exquisite green. A full spectrum of colours and shades I had never seen before bathed in a bright and unnatural glow.

It was wrong.

"Is that…" was murmured.

We were looking straight into a black hole. A never ending stretch of space bent and twisted. It was a terrible bottomless pit and that final thought of freefalling into forever.

He finally said it, unable to contain the excitement "Yes, a piece of the Cylinder**(3)**."

My skin was tingling all over, pale and sick with nausea. That was what he had been talking about in the cradle. It stabbed in the darkest part of my consciousness that there was only one thing he would use this highly illegal power conductor for. Even then I knew.

Annett broke the silence with a shrill cheer, "You magnificent bastard!" She sounded delirious, already figuring it out. Moreno and his men were speaking hushed among themselves with a vitality and energy. They understood they could make this work. That what Boss Matsuda spoke of true possibility.

"You are bearing witness to the creation of a new and improved Enoch. With this means of creating power we will be able to segregate the North and East side of the city and control it as our own."

Matsuda planned to 'save' Enoch by splitting it down the middle? By siding with people that didn't know what human rights meant?

"How do we know it works?" Parker cut in sceptically.

"Why don't we test it?" Boss Matsuda answered smoothly. "Although I assure you it is fully functional."

There wasn't even a moment's pause. "Go," Parker barked at one of his men, pushing him forward. In a quick change he became a terrified guy in over his head and not the imposing muscle of a criminal mastermind. I tried to look away as he hesitantly crept over, taking a huge gulp when he was in arms length of the machine. He was a cell. He must have felt it.

His fingers barely touched the cylinder before his body jolted stiffly, shadowing a bright, glittering light. His mouth opened in a soundless scream when energy flung out like a bolt of lightning searching for conduction. Then with a soft and horrifying thud, he fell to the floor. Dead.

The cylinder turned sunset orange and I closed my eyes, trying to still the quivering that had seized my legs.

"That… is a genuine article." Parker said crudely before turning to Boss Matsuda. "There are some things we need to discuss."

"We are going to make so much money…" Moreno added.

"Of course. But how about in the comfort of the VIP room. I believe I have shown you all I need to here."

I remained in the doorway, ignoring everyone that pushed past me. I focused on Boss Matsuda as he closed up the cylinder before coming over to me eagerly. "Did you hear that Sakura? All they care about is the money... we are about to make history! This is why I wanted you here for the unveiling because you alone understand. We are about to restore Enoch to its former greatness."

I barely processed a word, muttering in disbelief. "No…"

He regarded me coolly.

"You can't…" I pleaded. "We are talking about innocent people here. Do you think you're just going to get away with it? You can't… the government won't let you."

I was surprised when instead of looking angry he seemed relieved. My body tensed when he placed a hand on my shoulder and reassured me. "Every great civilization has been built on the blood and toil of the people. This is an inescapable truth of humanity." His voice was soft. "Enoch… the _new Enoch_ will be no different. I know you're scared-"

He was cut off by gunshots that rang down the hall.

* * *

At the end of the hall was a mass of dead bodies, pools of blood and deafening silence. No gun fire, no sign of life, nothing. The sheep spread out and Boss Matsuda snarled under his breath, "They couldn't even last a few minutes without killing each other?"

I backed into the bar when I saw the bloodied suit of Moreno among the carnage. My eyes became slits when I focused on my breathing. In. Out_. As long as I can still breathe, I am alive. _

"Area is secure," one of the sheep determined eventually. "Looks like they really did kill each other Boss-"

"MOVE!"

There was a combined roar of Aleksander and the firing of a gun. I jumped back as Aleksander shoved Boss Matsuda out of the line of fire. A bullet ricocheted off the floor and it didn't even take a moment's thought for Aleksander to figure out where it came from. He shot at the ceiling and there was stunned silence as a black mass dropped to the table, landing in a crouching position.

The assailant stood, clad in a skin tight, iridescent black suit from neck to ankle and matching helmet with a red visor. The broad shoulders and narrow hips marked him unmistakably male.

None of that was important in comparison to the gun and grenade he held in his hands. My mouth opened in a scream when I turned to Boss Matsuda for answers.

But Boss Matsuda and Aleksander were already far away from the bar, at the impenetrable door of the cradle when the whole room opened fire.

* * *

"Let me in."

I desperately pounded on the Cradle door, flinching at every stray bullet that whizzed past.

"Let me in. Let me in," I chanted. I cried. Don't ask me how I got across the room in one piece.

"_Boss Matsuda please_."

It was impossible the door would open but I knew he could see me. So I tried anyway. There was no way he would risk the attacker getting in. I coughed out the lump in my throat as tears streamed down my face. The smoke was getting closer.

"Please sir," I whispered.

_I don't want to die. _

I pressed my head against the cool metal "Not like this…"

Vibrations coursed from my forehead all down my body and I choked on the relief. I squeezed my eyes shut to extinguish the last of the tears. The door was opening.

An arm reached for me and I was pulled through the most miniscule opening, landing on my hands and knees. Aleksander slammed the door shut and I smiled at the surveillance camera, bent over and vomited.

It took a minute for the next door to open into the Cradle. I got to my feet shakily and walked into the darkness. I tripped and resisted the urge to scream when the briefcase of the cylinder shone at me. I wobbled over to the screens and collapsed down on my knees next to Boss Matsuda. He didn't take his grave eyes off the surveillance but placed his hand atop my head.

"I knew you wouldn't leave me," I whispered. I lied. That's all I could manage to say, I was grateful for my life but not the fact he got me in that situation. My anger was coiled as tightly as the cylinder and spiralled deep into my heart when I thought of what he was planning. I watched one of the screens trained on the attacker.

_How did they get in? _

I swallowed the acidic taste of bile.

_What do they want? _

I had a white knuckled grip on the table in front of me. Ideas swirled in my head, the most prominent among them being assassin.

"He got them all," Aleksander finally spoke and I turned away from the screens. The man in the black suit clung to walls and dodged almost as fast as the naked eye could track. He was some project, some terrifying scientist's brain child. They government called them Saints**(4) **after their almost godlike abilities. Even in Enoch it was only ever something discussed but never seen. Well at that point anyway.

"When backup gets here, it will be over. We just have to wait it out." Matsuda said calmly before his face darkened, "How did he get in?"

We didn't have enough time to explore all the possibilities when Aleksander pointed at one of the screens. The man had posted himself outside the door to the cradle holding a small device in his hands.

"Oh the arrogance!" Boss Matsuda sneered, giving a demented chuckle "to believe you can crack this door with that primitive technology."

Yes! He explained it took hours to dismantle _one_ of these doors and we had two. Backup would arrive. Then an alarm started ringing and Boss Matsuda paled whiter than bleached bone. Something was wrong.

"How is he breaking through the first barrier so quickly? These doors are supposed to be ramming proof, bomb proof and hacker proof!"

"Tell that to this bastard," Aleksander grumbled, pulling out his gun and aiming it at the door. Boss Matsuda seemed catatonic when the alarm became more shrill, staring at the door in shock.

"He'll get past it soon. We need to get out."

"There's a way to get out from here?" I asked incredulously. Really I shouldn't have been that surprised Boss Matsuda had thought of everything. The alarm basically screamed when a round of explosives went off outside. Wasting the door and allowing the attacker to pull it off the hinges before working on the next.

Aleksander pressed a few buttons and opened a very narrow hatch in the wall. Boss Matsuda peeled off his jacket and Aleksander dropped his gun. The opening was tight. "There isn't enough room for her."

My body went numb and I barely processed. "W-What?"

They were just going to leave me? I clung to Boss Matsuda's sleeve like a child would to their mother.

"We will make room," he snarled as Aleksander began to help him into the hatch. "Get the cylinder, sweetheart."

I nodded at Boss Matsuda's order and ran over to the cylinder. I hesitated before picking it up but a rounding jolt bought me back and I grabbed the handle. When I got back to the hatch a lone Aleksander stared at me. I moved to get inside but he shoved me back.

"It's not personal."

Distressed I call for Boss Matsuda but he either couldn't hear me or was ignoring me. Either way he had left me to die.

"Give me the cylinder," Aleksander demanded and a white hot knife twisted in my ribs. I threw the cylinder across the room and turned on him in fury. They weren't getting it. Again with the catecholamines. No matter how much trouble it left me in.

Then I heard Boss Matsuda.

"Hurry up!"

A sickening feeling of betrayal coursed through me. I should have known the moment he said sweetheart. He only called me that once before, when he had to tell me my dad died.

"Get the gun to defend yourself-"

"Just go," I cut him off. Without a moment pause Aleksander disappeared, leaving me with nothing but whizzing at high frequency.

* * *

That was it. My heart was pounding out of control and I swore he would be able to hear it. The door was almost down.

I needed to hide.

I crawled under the nearest table and thanked the darkened room. I stared at the abandoned gun hazardously but knew I made the right decision. I didn't want to go down having played any part in the madness.

When the door broke open and heavy combat boots were in my line of vision I covered my mouth to quiet my breathing. With animal cunning I looked at the door and weighed my options. Predator and prey, I had already chosen not to fight so flight was the only thing left.

I could make it to that door.

"Clear," was hissed. He sounded nothing like a nightmare should. I slid to the side when a helmet thumped to the floor, flinching at my bloody reflection in the lens.

"Matsuda isn't here," was murmured and I carefully crept from under the table. His back was still to me and I quickly focused on the light.

"Don't yes Sasuke me," was pushed angrily. "Why am I in a room that isn't supposed to exist? You were supposed to get a complete blueprint."

I had almost made it, 'Sasuke' distracted by arguing with someone in his ear.

"Cylinder identified and…"

He stopped talking and must have heard me. I made a break for it but in an instant he was on me. I felt a tear roll down my face as a gun barrel pressed against the side of my cheek.

_I was so close._

Fear spiked as I turned toward the gun. I didn't want to be shot only to feel agonizing pain before the final blow. I wanted it to be as painless as possible, right through the brain.

_I'm sorry dad… I promised I would look after myself. _

It took everything to see past the gun, down the long finger over the trigger, the powerful arm and to the face behind it all. This 'Sasuke.'

He looked stunned when we recognised each other. We kissed mere hours ago in the catacombs of G.O.D.

"You…" I breathed. The boy from the exam, the ungrateful, no good, shark eyed jerk.

His facial expression steeled to indifference when he lowered the gun. I gasped for breath when he walked away and hunched over the cylinder. Free. He was letting me go. "Thank you," I whispered and scrambled to the door but stopped when the lights from the cylinder reflected. Why on earth was he opening that? I turned and griped the broken doorway earnestly, trying to figure out what to say. He beat me to it.

"Do you want to die?" He asked icily. It was clear I would not be tolerated after being given an out. I didn't have time to process his words as he had reached to touch the cylinder. The 'no' barely left my lips as he lifted the cylinder. Instead of getting the energy sucked right out of him and falling over dead he merely unwound the top. He pulled out a small coil and the colour drained away. Deactivated.

I gaped when he dropped it to the floor lazily, picked up his helmet and walked right past me. His final parting gift was a low command.

"Tell Matsuda Exodus is upon him."

* * *

**Glossary**

**(1) The Father:**Elected leader of Enoch. If a female leader the title changes to mother.

**(2)** **Cell:** taken from battery, a person that has an adaptable energy inside of them. This unique source was once used to power the city in time of crisis. 1 in 10 citizens are found to have Cell potential.

**(3) Cylinder:**Highly condensed matter that has to be contained in a titanium cylinder and is the only known adapter of Cell potential.

**(4) Saint**: A mutant with cell potential, this can manifest in all manners of superhuman abilities dependent on the splice or gene variance.


	3. Chapter 3

'_Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden' are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. _

* * *

**PROSPECT**

* * *

"Hello Miss Sakura, how was the job interview?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," I replied defeated. I shut the door, pulling at my navy silk blouse that was clinging irritably to my back with static. It seemed my only chief employer was going to be the stress related chemical Cortisol. It's difficult to relax when my thoughts always crystallize on a looming eviction.

"You have two new messages," was offered and with glum determination I made my way into my tiny kitchen, poking at the chicken soup in the slow cooker.

"What did they say?"

"Tsunade sends her best wishes and can't wait to see you," came cheerfully and I perked up instantly, a smile tugging at my lips. I ladled out my soup and parked myself at the counter with renewed vigour.

"What's the other message?" I asked and there was an uncomfortable pause. I shot Hypo-Con(**1**) a stern look, watching his animated face sweat drop on the monitor. I know he is only looking out for me but hiding things from people never helps. "What is the other message?" I repeated.

'Who sent it' would have been more to the point but I already have my suspicions.

"Well..." was started slowly. "Boss Matsuda called to offer you your old job back at his new club Zion."

My cheerful mood was gone as quickly as it came. I had been ignoring him for two months. When was he going to stop hounding me? Maybe he understood that with each passing week his offer was becoming more enticing and thought he could wear me down.

"Delete it," I muttered, pushing a few tendrils of hair out of my eyes and my bowl away. The same way I had left behind the horrible bar massacre so too would I forget about Boss Matsuda. I would only look forward.

I wandered over to my favourite thing in my apartment, the bay window. I watched the shadows flickering across the busy market street and the stalls packing up for the day. All the thoughts in my head became as tightly compressed as spaghetti in a tin. I didn't want to get evicted from here. Sure the apartment wasn't perfect (only one bedroom) and above a spice supplier so the overwhelming smell of pepper and chilli powder was always wafting through the air, ready to assault your nose and make you sneeze. But I loved this place.

"Hypo-Con can you begin job searching?"

A smile spread across the cartoon face instantly, "Right away Miss Sakura!"

I am not giving up on this place. I sat back at my counter and ate.

* * *

So Hypo-Con had found a personal assistant position at the renowned _Konoha_ fashion label. It's not something I would usually pursue but the ad said no experience required and I absolutely adore the brand. I had traded in my more conservative shoes for a just gorgeous, open-toed pump I had gotten at a sample sale at the beginning of this season. It was a risky decision for interview attire but who wouldn't be happy to see their own work walk through the door?

I walked briskly along the Sky Rail(**2**) platform, taking a deep breath of the morning air. Everybody looked on point and seamless. Well all except for a plump middle-aged woman gaping at a man with shimmery silver skin. Meka(**3**) were always easy to spot, wide-eyed and slack mouthed. How different the outside world must be to create these proudly aging and genetically imperfect individuals. This one in particular was struggling with the Sky Rail between gawking.

"You get used to it," I said sagely and a kind face with primrose cheeks and laugh lines turned on me in surprise. If I had known my mother I imagine she would have been something like this. I hope wherever she is in the world she has laugh lines instead of frown.

"Oh!" she said placing her hand over her chest before recovering. "I suppose but right now it's all so overwhelming!"

"Don't you know how to sign on?"

"Is it that obvious?" she smiled sheepishly. Even though she was speaking English her accent made it seem like she was chewing out each sound and leaning into every word. Her voice seemed to raise an octave at the end of every sentence too. I loved hearing all the different Meka accents. This one was new to me.

"Okay where are you going?"

"North Terrace."

"Oh that's where I'm going!" I said brightly. "We can sit together. My name is Sakura by the way."

She gave me a wide, gap toothed smile. It was a good feeling. "I'm Miranda. Nice too meet you."

* * *

After we sat down and got talking I found out Miranda's husband had been paralysed from the waist down after an unfortunate accident at work. They both decided to immigrate to Enoch and had only been here a week.

"It was absolutely amazing! He's been in that chair for five years and yesterday he was able to stand up all on his own! It's a miracle. I guess it really is true! All things are possible in Enoch."

I smiled at the bubbling excitement that had taken a hold of her. Health was so important and it was hard to comprehend why the outside took that for granted. If you have the technology to save someone's life why neglect that? Why outlaw it?

"Oh but just listen to me rambling on about my life story. I'm sorry dear."

"That's okay," I said honestly. "I don't mind at all."

We both gave a jolt when the carriage rattled. This line was always faulty. After bracing ourselves she pointed out the window. Buildings sprung up and flashed past us in a blur but she had settled on the only ever present thing no matter which way you looked in Enoch, a huge structure that ringed the city as a constant.

"What's that?"

"That's the wall**(4)**," I replied giving it a long hard look for the first time in a while. Living here you just get so used to it and it vanishes from your peripheral. Even here you can tell it was made from impure concrete and haphazardly plastered together. "It's electric or something. You're not supposed to go near it."

"_We didn't build that wall to keep the heathens in; we built it to keep those dictators out!" _

Boss Matsuda was still ringing in my ears. It took focusing on the clattering of the line to drown him out.

"Oh I wouldn't dream! It was hard enough getting in."

"Really?" I questioned and she seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding. I always see advertisements trying to entice people to move to Enoch so the idea her family faced any difficulty was bizarre.

"Oh yes. We were on the waiting list for three years and when we did get citizenship most of our things didn't match regulation so it's been a big move. It's like starting all over again."

"That is big!" I said in awe.

"But it's been absolutely worth it to see Gary walk again," she said back positively. "I was actually thinking I could get in some shopping today. Do you know if the immigration support office is open after six?"

"I don't actually. Hang on."

Fuelled by a sense of purpose I got up and wandered over to the only other person in our carriage and asked him if he knew when the office closed.

"Where is Uzumaki Naruto?**(5)**" he retorted indifferently. Damn him. I shook my head at Miranda and sat back down with a huff before drawing my fingers over the graffiti on the chair in front of me. 'Uzumaki Naruto' was scratched into the back of the metal with unskilled hands.

Uzumaki Naruto was 15 meters tall and counting. He's above the Sky rail, beneath the cracks in the pavement and through the shattered windows of abandoned buildings. He's scrawled on the back of grotty bathroom stalls, hacked into news readings in big block letters and bubble written across ironic t-shirts. Who he is doesn't seem as important as where he is. Nobody knows and his city is pining for him. His homecoming, his execution or mere proof of his actual existence I don't know. My theory is he is a promotional tool for a new product (a tracker chip for your kid most likely). If so the campaign has done more than just capture everyone's imagination but has passed through and embedded itself into permeable consciousness.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Miranda brushed my shoulder. She was staring at the man I had spoken with, looking at the grooves littering his arm with distrust. She asked me tentatively, "Are the people here... okay?"

And for a moment I allowed myself into her head. Born into a stagnant world where technology is king and man will no longer evolve. She has never seen something that looks anything but human yet claims to be. The city she has moved to is a melting pot of spliced and augmented people. Not only is she at the point of no return... but the unknown. That must feel terrifying.

But she has nothing to be afraid off.

"Well I'm okay don't you think?"

The worry lines that had etched themselves upon her face relaxed and relief flooded into her eyes. "Yes!" she nodded. "Different isn't always bad."

"Exactly," I agreed before leaning back into my chair. I hadn't been lying to her exactly but some people- no _things_- here were not okay. The most prominent in my mind is the chimera but the odds of her ever experiencing that are low as I have only ever seen one once. They demolished and entire institution just to unearth it. Translucent skin barely disguised the workings of the vessels and muscles underneath. Canine teeth glistening with blood and badger claws bent around its last feed. The whole street was covering their nose at its strong bacterial stench. The monster was dead. A shadow of its former greatness but I could never forget its terrible amber hawk eyes. Forever fixed forward through transparent eyelids.

The scientist deemed responsible received a slap on the wrist and all of his work closely monitored from there on out. Some people find this stance lenient but after all, in scientific terms, the creation of a monster is a brilliant achievement, the Adam of our labours. The real horror comes not from the design but autonomy. The moment the scientist loses control and the creatures independent thought reigns free.

Just like kakashi says though, "These monsters cannot be uncreated, the same way the knowledge accumulated in their design cannot be unlearned, or the contents of Pandora's Box recaptured."

The limits of creation, no matter how appalling, must be pushed. It's the inescapable truth of Enoch and the foundation of which it was built upon.

* * *

My Meka got a little teary eyed, wished me all the best on my job interview and gave me the biggest and warmest hug at the platform. I congratulated her on her new life and husband's good health, exchanged our hypo-numbers and with a feeling of indestructibility had marched all the way to my interview with the mindset I was going to leave with the position.

But now looking around the room I wasn't so sure. There were over fifty applicants and I almost walked right back out. It was going to take forever to screen us all and after ears dropping on a few conversations it became clear other people were far more qualified.

"Everybody stand in a line!"

It was shouted over the din of undermining chatter, the shrill and high voice of a prepubescent girl. Normally she wouldn't be taken seriously but as the Konoha fashion label is headed by Konohamaru, a thirteen year old boy, it's not surprising.

I ended up somewhere near the end and unfortunately between two very tall girls. Even with my heels I was tiny in comparison and completely over shadowed.

"I present to you a man who needs no introduction," the young girl rattled off. "Head of a multi-million dollar corporation and connoisseur of the global market and creator of the Konoha fashion label- Konohamaru!"

The room was almost in a frenzy. Konohamaru! We were actually going to see him. Even if this didn't work out at least I got to see one of my favourite designers in person.

He pushed his way through the door dramatically (as if his introduction hadn't been dramatic enough) and began walking down the line before speaking. "I will be choosing one of you to be my personal assistant."

There was a second wave of chatter in the room. It was unbelievable! I thought the job was to be personal assistant to a personal assistant or something. Not this.

I watched him closely as he did his lap, getting closer to the end at a brisk pace. Head down and eyes narrowed, revealing how unimpressed he was with everyone. Maybe he was just thinking about all the people that needed to be interviewed.

My heart stopped when he did- right in front of me. He was looking at my shoes and slowly he looked me up and down. The whole room had gone silent and my brain was racing.

"I want her," he said plainly and just like that I was gestured forward by one of his entourage and lead away.

* * *

"I got the job!"

I was ecstatic. I was over the moon. It was unbelievable. Just like that I had been hired! He didn't ask for my experience but if I had seen the fall line! Running for coffee, organising the models and keeping track of the wardrobe- how hard can it be?

I was a little surprised when Hypo-Con didn't buzz with excitement and my back went up when I noticed there were crosses in his eyes and DISABLED flashing across the screen. Someone had broken into my apartment and my mouth ran dry when I noticed a shadowy figure standing at the bay window. It took a moment for it all to register and I bit my lip irritably. I hadn't seen him since the Cradle and wanted to keep it that way.

"Great. What a fantastic end to the day," I said sarcastically.

The man's shoulders seemed to relax and gave a heart warmed reply, "I'm glad you're so happy to see me."

Aleksander ran his fingers through his slicked back hair and gave me a passive look. It took everything not to snarl at him.

"What does he want?" I demanded crisply. I should have seen this coming. Of course Boss Matsuda would send Aleksander if I wasn't replying to him. Why didn't I see this coming?

"You," he said simply. "Back."

"Dead people don't come back," I retorted hotly. Boss Matsuda left me for dead and as far as I was concerned that is how I planned to remain to him.

"He didn't want to leave you- neither did I."

"Thanks for the concern," I spat.

"You're welcome," was my reply and I rolled my eyes. Aleksander had never understood sarcasm so why was I bothering to educate him now? I had to be straight with him.

"I have a new job. I'm never going back to that."

To cash in hand, being up at ungodly hours of the night and acting oblivious to all the criminal activity surrounding me- I won't do it anymore. In a way I should thank Boss Matsuda for what happened because it put everything in perspective for me. That's not the person I am.

If I hadn't known Aleksander since I was fifteen I might have missed it. His mouth pressed together so slightly into a disapproving line- it was dangerous. Here was a man in his prime, 36 and trigger happy. He could over power me in a blink of an eye, silence me with one shot and knew more than one good place to hide a body. I was an idiot to make him angry. The look vanished though, replaced with the hooded eyes he got when it was just him and a bottle of gin after closing. The closest I had seen him to content.

"Boss must really love you," he said cryptically.

"Doubtful." It escaped me before I could swallow it back down. Searing, hot and overall hurt- the word chocked its way out of me.

"I've been told to simply walk away if you refuse the offer. You know intimate information about the entire operation- for what reason other than love- would he let you live?"

The door shut, leaving me to dwell.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay Hypo-Con?"

"Yes Miss Sakura," he replied but his voice was still a little shaky. "I'm sorry I let him in."

I watched a little tear well in his eyes and curled up in my blankets. "It's not your fault Hypo-Con. Please don't be sad."

I felt myself smile when the crying animation disappeared. "I hope you can get some sleep Miss Sakura."

That brought me back to my current struggle. Sleep didn't come easily after the club as my mind constantly ticked over. The nightmares had subsided but questions remained in their stead. It made me realise a part of me needed closure for what happened. I couldn't care less about Boss Matsuda but what had been meant by 'Exodus' and why had Sasuke been so intent on disabling that cylinder. I reached over for my medication, swallowing a single pill.

"I hope so too."

I wanted to see Sasuke again, if only for answers.

* * *

"Konohamaru you have a phone conference in 20."

The small mass in the bed stirred and set a bloodshot eye on me in discontent. I smacked my lips together, surprised but not shocked he had clearly only gotten an hour sleep last night. I wrinkled my nose at the profane sight of all the chocolate wrappers littering the room, expecting me to clean them up. He always managed to make everything so sticky.

"Where's the winter fabrics book?" he tried innocently and I was not falling for that again. He was a master of distraction so he could catch a few more moments sleep. If he did that he'd miss the conference which will- I guarantee you- somehow be my fault. The first lesson of being a personal assistant: you get the blame for everything. Already prepared, I held up the winter fabrics book.

"You have a conference in 18," I pressed. "Here is your hot chocolate."

He huffed at me something about 'damn runway', dragging himself into a sitting position and snatching his drink away. I flinch when it spills over the rim onto his sheets- more things to clean. I'm not paid nearly enough.

After a shot of coco he gives a weary sigh in personal reflection. "I'm getting much too old for this don't you think?"

Not this again. Sure the kid was a fashion industry prodigy; he owned three textile factories and two high-end boutiques in Enoch alone. His first line exploded on the world market at 10 but now at 13 he acted like he was some kind of veteran. The kid had barely hit puberty!

Before I could answer (more like fawn and coo over him in reassurance as per his demand to be babied) he yawned and added, "Then again you're _ancient_. What would you know?"

I bristled at the insult. Twenty was not ancient. He has absolutely no idea. "Conference in _15_," I said bluntly taking a little too much pleasure at the way he groaned in horror.

* * *

After two months working here I can confidently say being a P.A. is not easy.

"I wanted cranberry juice. CRANBERRY."

In fact it was pretty thankless work.

"I'm sorry," I replied taking back the apple juice I could have sworn Moegi asked for when Udon spoke up sounding like his usual obnoxious self.

"I specifically asked for only _red_ gummy bears," he snapped before holding up a lone orange bear. "Does this look like red to you?"

That irritated me because how hard is it to pick out the colour you wanted yourself? He was behaving like an absolute child! I surveyed him, runny nose and glasses pushed back against his childish face. He was eleven. What else was he supposed to behave like?

That's when it hit me. I wasn't a P.A. I was a glorified babysitter.

* * *

It takes a lot to stand out in the streets of Enoch but I have managed it and for all the right reasons. People moved aside for me as I sped down (well as fast as you can speed down a street in a tight pencil skirt) trying to get to the eastside boutique and meet with Konohamaru. I would like to think it had something to do with how sharply I was dressed (and my new awesome heels!) but it was probably because of the Hypo-cell I had glued to my hand. The sleek silver design screamed business and even had a camera on the back (strictly prohibited without a permit) to take photos of the outfits. It was all mine (as long as I still worked for the Konoha label) and the reception was amazing on this thing. The speed at which communication was possible is truly amazing.

I was about three blocks away when a familiar chime made everyone in the street stop and swarm around the nearest possible screen. It was time for an address from the father**,** the democratically elected prime-minister of Enoch, Hayate Kakashi. Kakashi was a fair man who had almost been in office for a decade. He pushed back his peppered grey hair as eyes that always seemed like they were crinkled in a smile surveyed us for a moment before he began.

"Good afternoon. Today I would like to talk about a grave issue. A rail made of Meka metal collapsed in the underground this morning killing 39 workers."

Many of the people near me made upset noises and others simply shook their head in disgust. It was pretty upsetting that once again the people of Enoch have been harmed due to the carelessness of the outside world.

"Citizens are reminded to stay out of the underground until construction is complete and anybody caught trespassing will not only face endangering themselves but potential arrest. This is an unexpected tragedy but the people of Enoch have always shown great strength and compassion in the face of crisis. If we can survive the Absolutions Creed**(6)** we are not to be taken lightly."

He then began to mention free healthcare, economic stability and the new abundance of food that was about to be made available. The mood went from mourning to excited chatter about all the new dishes that could be prepared now. The chime went, signalling the broadcast was about to end but people still hung around for that familiar sign out.

"Thank you for your time and remember: all things are possible in Enoch."

After the screen went blank normal business was resumed.

* * *

"You stopped for a W.A. **(7)**! How could you!"

"It's mandatory viewing," I replied curtly. Of course it wasn't strongly enforced as people are able to continue working as long as they listen but if you are on the street it was like unwritten law to stop.

Well that is unless you are Konohamaru and have a runway show in under a week.

"Ugh!" he snarled, flinging a gossamer veil at me. "Just go put that on the display!"

Fearing I would infuriate him even further I got to work straight away. Carefully rearranging the silk train of the dress and trying to place the veil just right. In a way it was heart warming he trusted me with this. It almost made up for the awful and vapid stress monster he was 99 percent of the time. It only took a second of turning away to get the pins and he was back, critiquing everything I was doing.

"Not like that! An old woman like you should know better!"

Scratch out that silver lining. I really hate working here. I'm quitting when I can get another job.

* * *

It was absolute chaos. Half dressed girls ran around as the team chased after them like heat seeking missiles before pushing them into the hair and make-up stations. The air was thick with matte powder and silver fake eyelashes littered the floor like fat, spoiled silkworms.

I had two main jobs in this anarchy; to keep Konohamaru from having one of his infamous meltdowns and organising the models when they arrived to be done up. All the girls were almost ready except one who wasn't here and unforgivably late. She was also going to be the show stopper and Konohamaru was close to having a stroke considering she inspired the entire collection.

"Where's my muse?!"

Her ears must have been burning because the last girl finally ran into the room, blurting a single sorry and running right at me when I waved her over. She was incredibly beautiful, with huge crystal blue eyes, smooth long blonde hair and flawless skin. Unfortunately she was actually this gorgeous. To appeal to a global market Konohamaru goes in the direction of al' natural which means no intrusive cosmetic alterations or surgeries. There was a group of people in Enoch who prided themselves on being 'pure' (bar a few genetic screenings) and not manipulating their appearances with invasive technologies.

These were their daughters.

"Ino," I said hurriedly and we both ran down to the curtains. That's when I saw them. The. Best. High. Heels. Ever. I have love affairs in pairs, a serial offender for sure but these were just strappy, glam divine. It really is true. It's only four inches to heaven...

"I love your shoes!" I blurted, losing all composure and much to my surprise Ino smiled back earnestly. "Thank you. I absolutely _adore_ your boots."

"I got them half-price at a sample sale," I replied and admired her impressed response. Luckily we were both adept at multi-tasking as she quickly got changed.

"Where was the sale?"

"Upper-east side Marion's," I said "It's an amazing store."

"I'll be going there for sure!" she said honestly, her face lighting up.

"So where did you get your shoes?" I asked. I was already picturing all our rendezvous. The outfits we'd pull off and the streets we'd parade down.

"Oh I can't tell you that," was said matter of fact.

Wait... what?

The silence between us was deafening.

"Why not?" I blinked, brow knotting.

She gave a good natured, wet shine smile. "Well I don't want anyone else to have them obviously."

And with that she (and her beautiful shoes) stalked over to hair and makeup.

* * *

All I wanted to do was know where she got them from. It wasn't fair after all. I told her where I got mine.

"Did you buy them from Happy Feet?"

She gave me a trying look, elegant arched brows levelling into an irritated discomfort. I pretended it was from her hair being slicked back into a tight and throbbing ponytail.

"Umm no..."

I was beckoned to the call. "Sakura!"

"Head over heels?"

"Sakura!" Moegi ran over to me in a frantic mess "Konohamaru wants to know if the gift bags have the gold leaf thank you notes in them!"

They do. I saw too it myself. I turn back to Ino- only to find she is no longer there. Oh she was just waiting for the opportunity! "They're not..." I say slowly before getting a brain blast. "I think they are at the make-up station!"

All I need is the brand of the shoes. Then the almost sociopathic determination will disappear.

* * *

At the makeup booth I got there just in time. I know she wanted me to stop seeing them but I can't. Love will conquer all and I must know the brand!

She was almost done, having the last sweep of rouge applied to her high cheekbones. The second she laid eyes on me she seemed to shut down.

"So I was thinking maybe you could tell me..."

I trailed off as she stood up briskly and completely ignored me and stomped away on her heels. She's abusing them! Suddenly I was following her and she quickened her pace to the hangers.

Okay what am I doing? I'm acting ridiculous. Even if she is being the evil other woman I'm still being a creep. I need to stop and regain my focus on the show.

* * *

Konohamaru was hulled up under a desk and refused to come out. For the first time I realise Moegi is a genuine person as she fretted and tried to coax him out with compliments. She and Udon truly care about him. With a sigh I crawled under the table and was reminded Konohamaru is just a little boy as he curled in on himself, peering at me with sad eyes.

"What if they hate it?" he whispered. This wasn't his usual compliment fishing but an honest uncertainty. He sounded almost... scared.

"Why would they hate it?" I said lightly.

He sniffed and I was touched by his tender expression when he rubbed his eyes. He seemed so lost. "Sometimes I feel like the biggest fraud. I hardly know what I'm doing half the time."

Finally I figured out what to do. I offered him guidance by acting like the 'old woman' he believes me to be. "They're going to love it," I assure, squeezing his hand.

He squeezed back, "Promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

The runway was spectacular. You could just tell from the audience's reaction they were more than impressed. Konohamaru was sauntering around backstage, restored to his former self-appointed glory.

"I knew it was going to be a success. I was beyond a doubt. Of course I could pull this off all by myself."

I grit my teeth through his little speech. He is so self-absorbed and obnoxious and it's like the desk incident never happened. If he wasn't such a genius I would really consider, maybe not, probably liking his designs so much.

After gift bags and networking it was time to head home. I had decided to avoid the after-party. If it was anything like last time I would spend the evening chasing Udon around the buffet table and trying to stop Moegi from overdosing on the cordial again. Refined sugar and that girl equaled hyper activity. It was just like being at work. In the empty lock up I took out my bag and rubbed at my tense shoulders.

That's when I caught a glimpse of Ino as she ducked behind a change curtain. My mood darkened. What a pig. What an annoyingly fabulous shoe owning pig.

Actually...

A dangerous idea struck me as I neared the curtain and noticed her discarded shoes. To see the brand all I had to do was reach under and flip over the shoes. Then such divinity could be all mine. If I was quick she won't even notice. It's not my fault she was being uncooperative after all. I thought of a myriad of fairytale perfection that could happen to me if I wore those whimsical shoes. I bent down and reached in-

Only to be greeted with a grating scream and a kick to the face. I moaned as I fell back, throbbing hurt blistering across my had a mean right hoof!

The curtain was drawn back to reveal one very pissed off model, "You freak!"

Stinging humiliation, I tried to make myself into a willful ball that would slip between the cracks in the floor.

"I got them from Maxine's!" she shouted at me shrilly. "Happy?!"

"Yes," I croaked out instantly. Delicious victory. The pain was worth it. The shoes would be mine in beautiful results!

"What is going on here?!"

I rolled on my side at the commanding voice, groaning as Konohamaru loomed over me.

I had some explaining to do.

* * *

It didn't really affect me until I got home and started up the shower. The tears were fat and angry before becoming a plateau of appropriate misery. Konohamaru fired me after the shoe fiasco. Turns out Ino's dad is a powerful asset to the label and wouldn't rest until I was off the payroll. I pressed my forehead against the cold tiles letting the lukewarm water roll down my back. Movement required too much effort. I felt like I had to command every single muscle in my arm just to turn off the water.

In a way this reminded me of my break up from Shikamaru. We had been together for two years but he was someone I liked but was never madly in love with. He was someone I could only ever see myself settling for. It was the fact he broke up with me that caused me to feel so much for him. The acknowledgement that he had felt the same was hurtful.

I wrapped myself up in a cocoon of towels before padding along to sink into the sofa_. You didn't even like the job anymore_ I reminded myself _you wanted to quit anyway_.

"Miss Sakura, Tsunade's offer still stands?"

I looked up at Hypo-con's monitor to reply. "What offer?"

"The profiling job with Proanacon."

A little of my fight pulled me into a decided nod. I'm down but I'm not out.

* * *

**Glossary**

**(1) Hypo-Con:** a mandatory household organiser that assists with such things as incoming calls or messages, bills and home security. Con is taken from emoticon as the screen of the device is represented with a typical cartoon smiley face. (HC)

**(2) Sky Rail:** Industrial monorail that covers the span of the city and is the only means of leaving Enoch through relatively safe channels.

**(3) Meka**: an immigrant to Enoch (Meka taken from outside world's far superior mechanical technology).

**(4) The Wall:** To combat the flow of refugees leaving Enoch after the blockade the government built an electromagnetic wall to surround the entire city. (Concept taken from Berlin 1961 -1989)

**(5) Where is Uzumaki Naruto?**: The equivalent of asking how long is a piece of string. A popular way of saying I have no idea in Enoch.

**(6) Absolutions Creed**: Doctrine from the outside world to instigate compete blockade upon Enoch. (Taken from battle of Stalingrad 23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943)

**(7) World Address:** A broadcast to the entire world (all of Enoch) from the prime-minister.

* * *

_Happy holidays everyone! Sasuke is going to be in the next chapter and I'm having so much fun writing the dialogue between him and Sakura. I want to thank my amazing anonymous reviewers but I wish I had some way to make contact directly so I could thank you properly :'( _

_Oh and next update from me will have a new penname! Reviews are always appreciated : ) _


	4. Chapter 4

'_Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden' are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo. _

_Also name change! PostCounterClockwise is now _MetaMirage

* * *

**PROSPECT**

MetaMirage

* * *

Four

Proanacon(**1**) was a glorious stepping stone. Profiler would look better on my resume than personal assistant. I paced towards the sleek opaline building, taking a breath of the humid air. It was afterhours and locked up but I couldn't help scouting out my new job as soon as possible. Curiously I imagined what the blood labs were like and the standard of equipment.

I flinched when a pebble bounced off the back of my knee. The one negative of this location was the fact it was right next to a demolished street. I cut out the grim lines of the debris and peered through the glass doors. There was thick shatter proof glass and velvet rope dividing up the spacious main room. Again I jumped when a chunk of dry wall scraped against my bag. I took a few hurried steps to shield myself and cast a suspicious eye around. That one hit me pretty hard. The wind didn't feel that strong...

I heard it before I saw it; the crunch of hurried strides on rubble. I shot to the left to make out a brief flash of red before my bag was snatched. I let out a cry and on instinct tore after the assailant. We collided but not because I caught him.

It was the force of an explosion that propelled us together.

* * *

I recoiled at the wave of heat, forcing and expanding. The ground was in a tremor with the succession of collapses, a blotting wall of dust rising up.

Proanacon crumbled before my eyes.

Not the eyes of my assailant however who hid behind a large hand, shoving my bag back into my lap. Amidst the shock I clasped something glinting red. He snarled when I held up red tinted glasses, the shade making me think of a certain helmet...

"Sasuke," I said breathlessly and he lowered his hand long enough to give me a glower. I'd recognise that face anywhere. "You were the one in the exam and at Matsuda's club..."

"Stop talking and stop remembering things," he replied curtly wrestling the peculiar glasses from me before jamming them on with urgency. He then picked himself up, dust tipping his hair with grey age. My brain felt like it had overheated and refused to function. I barely croaked out, "Speaking of remembering things, do you remember me?"

"The girl who tried to molest me in G.O.D.?" he offered, voice dripping in discontent. I bristled.

"I also go by Sakura."

"I don't care," he said rudely and I felt the familiar pangs of anger mingle in with my confusion. We both jumped when there was a sharp prophet blast(**2**) as awful and grating as crepitus. It wasn't to full effect but instead an alert.

The authorities were coming.

Sasuke grabbed me in my state of disorientation and dragged me into the demolished street.

* * *

I was navigating through a wasteland of wreckage. Heavy stone blocks, twisted pipes, shattered glass and the skeletal frames of life. Noticing abandoned copper pots, dishes and crudely drawn pictures signed in a child's hand made me wonder about the people who used to live here and what drove them from their neighbourhood so suddenly. It unsettled me.

"We shouldn't be here! It's black code!(**3**)"

Sasuke stopped just left of a broken church spire.

"You watch a building blow up and _this_ is what you panic about?"

I shifted weight from one foot to the other nervously. Of course I was panicking about Proanacon but from past experience with criminals I had learnt to never express any clear objection. The perpetrator could turn on you in an instant. Somehow though... Sasuke wasn't exactly a criminal in my head.

"Why did you blow it up?" I asked quietly. He still heard.

"I didn't blow anything up," he countered.

"I believe that," I agreed with a sarcastic nod. "I also believe you're going to be voted philanthropist of the century any day now."

He turned on me irritably. Honestly I was intimidated but I stood to my full height, puffing my chest out like an eagle. If he wished me harm he wouldn't have lead me away from the blast. I had him all figured out.

"I'm not scared of you," I said cockily.

Instantly he reached into his coat and I dived behind half a brick wall. A gun! "Okay now I am!"

He scoffed and I peered through a hole in the grout to see him holding up a strange device that looked like a radio. I frowned as he moved away, clearly trying to get a signal. Hesitantly I got up and continued to follow him. I have no idea where I am so really I had no other choice. He cursed when the little machine produced nothing but white noise and crouched in cracked concrete.

"How do we get out of here," I asked. When he didn't respond I pressed, "Sasuke-"

"I'm busy," he cut off rudely.

"You don't look busy."

"And you don't look like the annoyingly obsessive type but evidently you are."

I was surprised his hostility had taken so long to sink in. He had only taken me away to keep me from the authorities. It didn't matter to him if I died out here. I paced resentfully away.

"Why haven't you reported me?"

His odd question tethered me back. It wasn't so much what he had asked, that was understandable enough but the curious tone that infused with his usual monotonous voice. I turned to see mistrust tugging his brow into a weighted frown. I had thought about it but figured if he hadn't shown up when he did Boss Matsuda's awful plan to burn up people with cell potential would be in motion. He must have known about it because he sought to stop it.

"Because you were doing a good thing by stopping Matsuda," I decided. It was ignorant but I even started to think he might not have had anything to do with Proanacon blowing up and maybe he had been trying to stop that too.

"Come on," he said finally and lead me further into the concrete abyss. It was probably the closest I would ever get to acceptance from him. A clicking sound in the distance had us both tense up. Unfortunately I am familiar with the low, rhythmic crackles. A Neph3(**4**) was somewhere up ahead and my first reaction was to head straight in the other direction. One glimpse at its spindly legs and spider like thorax bought back awful memories spent hiding in my neighbour's apartment when one went haywire on our street. It killed one of the shoppers by latching onto their head and piercing through their skull. They were so startled they couldn't even scream. They're notoriously difficult to disable and we had to wait overnight for clearance. I slink behind an upturned truck as it picked amidst a store wreckage, vibrating happily at some copper wire it has discovered.

Sasuke however climbed up on the truck and pulled out his gun. He fires twice and I cower. What the hell is he doing?! They respond to noise! He's also standing out in the open where they are more than ready to attack on sight.

When I calm down I realise the clicking has subsided. Shakily I peer around the vehicle to see the Neph3 limp and curled up. Did he... disable it? Upon closer inspection he had. There were two neat bullet holes through the thorax.

I stare at him agape. What had taken a whole specially trained team overnight Sasuke had managed in 8 seconds. Surprisingly Sasuke seemed as happy about the wire as the Neph3, stealing it away. His behaviour became even more bizarre when he took parts of the Neph3 itself, placing them into his coat pocket.

"If you want to study me so intently maybe you should take notes."

I am jolted back to reality by his quip. I wasn't staring _that_ much. "Get over yourself."

I try to stop myself from cringing. It is entirely unfair how easily he can affect me. I follow him begrudgingly as we crunch over a field of shattered glass. The half-sunken building up ahead was the likely culprit. It was once a clinic, its size boasting trials. It had probably been the main traffic flow in the area. I frown as the corroding structure and naked support beams begin to fade away. A striking cobalt blue light was creeping through the buildings edges like a reverse cigarette burn and forming the Hourglass of Enoch. Sasuke and I were bathed in light and on instinct walk toward it. It seems not everything is dead here and we are about to get an announcement. The familiar pounding of a heartbeat began to shake the ground and my body becomes lithe with tension. This is no normal announcement, this is a justice trial(**5**).

"_What is it that makes humans believe?" _

Instantly I despise the low, masculine voice. It is a quiet lull and something truly deadly. The light erupts into lined eyes. They are a ferocious green like nuclear run off. This man was born malicious.

"_Whether they follow evolution or divine intervention it doesn't really matter. They can still have faith."_

His eyes already look dead.

"_Well not me. A break in the mortal coil, my creator is that of man, of humanity... And they are a most terrible and unforgiving god. One that I have lost all faith in." _

The scene pans out and his face was terrifyingly familiar. I've seen this man all over the news. He's the leader a prominent terrorist group. His face splits to hatred.

"_One that I will eradicate!" _

GARRA THE BLOODY flashes across the screen confirming my suspicions. Yes Garra, the leader of Sans Passage. He can dust people by just using his mind and was one of the more dangerous and high profile genetic experiments. Technically he's from the telekinesis strand but about 1000 times more powerful than the norm as he is able to control more than one object at a time. The screen flashes again and Enoch watches his capture unfold, a brave few getting close enough to inject him with a sedative. Now he has been dragged before the public. To judgement.

"Garra you are responsible for the deaths of over 400 people and have been confirmed as the leader of San's Passage, a heinous terrorist group intent on the destruction of Enoch. How do you plead?"

If he was pleading his case it couldn't be heard over the screaming audience. 'Guilty, guilty, guilty' they chant. I imagine there are some of his victims' loved ones in the crowd but aren't we all victims of the terrorist masterminds? Every day they undermine the future we have tried so hard to build. They wish to tear it all out from under us and we can't let them.

I don't like justice trials but they are necessary. The heartbeat strums faster.

"You have been found guilty!"

In Enoch as easily as we can create life we can take it away. He is rigged up to a noose. The hangings are always the most popular. There is an old world appeal no one can ignore. The heartbeat is monitored out of control. Even though he looks so cool, he is panicking. Then he dropped.

It all stops at once. The incessant screaming and the thundering heartbeat. Only a body hangs. It is over. I bite my lip with finality and horrified relief when the destroyed building fades back, the cool blue light removed. Garra the bloody is dead.

"Good." That single word mindlessly escapes me. I had forgotten all about Sasuke before he turned to face me. I peered into my own bloody reflection in his morbid coloured frames and tried to imagine his expression behind it. Confusion? Irritation? Fear?

"You think that's good..."

Most certainly fear. I straightened up. Sasuke doesn't exactly operate within legal boundaries. Justice trials must keep him up at night. "Well as Kakashi says-"

"Do _not_ quote Kakashi," he cut off, walking briskly into abandoned parklands. He's so irritating! I chased after him. The dying grass crumpled like dried octopus legs beneath each step, the area would be barren if not for a lone tree. Even though everything else in this black code area is destroyed I am pleased to see this small piece of nature flourishing.

"Do you think Garra's dead?" Sasuke asked.

Is he kidding? "Of course?"

"Then I have no doubt he is still alive."

"Do you always disagree for the sake of disagreeing?" I replied vehemently. "Maybe you just don't want to admit the truth."

"Did you see his face before they hung him?" he argued and I rolled my eyes. He was one of those conspiracy types. I'm not one of those morose people that search out reactions but I'm without a doubt it was Garra.

I wanted to snap at him. "Yes, so shut up."

"Someone's angry." He almost sounded teasing.

"And someone else is overly opinionated!" I retorted hotly. To resist from glowering at him I turn towards the lights of the city. An arcade sign catches my eye that I have been going to since I was little. Familiarity wraps me up and replaces troubles.

"Oh I know where I am now!" I say excitedly. "My friend Tsunade lives just over there..."

I trail off, searching around the open plain for Sasuke but he has gone. Unlike last time he doesn't have a swarm of people to hide in but only the open air. There is no way he could run fast enough for cover and he's not near the tree. Disturbed pinpricks run up my back as I search.

* * *

She's done it again.

"Okay, up we get," I greet. The woman sprawled on the floor gives me a grunt, muffled by wine stained carpet and a mess of peroxide locks. I heave her to her feet, quietly fascinated with the prominent spider veins around her nose. There's some blinking and a slur before arms wrap around me in a warm hug.

"Sakura! My darling!"

I cuddle her back. I was seven when I first met Tsunade and I thought she looked like Barbies grandmother. Even now it seems she hasn't aged a day. I carefully maneuver a bottle away from her and slip it under the couch, only to hear it chink against another. She may still be beautiful but her alcoholism isn't the most glamorous.

"So why have you come for a visit?" she questioned.

"I was just in the area and thought I would drop in."

"That's nice of you," she replied before becoming obsessed with the worn material of her armchair. "Now you can't avoid me when I ask you how the exam at G.O.D went."

I take a deep breath. Of course she would cut straight to an ulterior motive. I have avoided her questions for two months but with a sting of disappointment I may as well come clean.

"There was an issue with the testing," I explain. "So they are asking everyone to apply in another round. I'm afraid..."

She all but barked at me. "Are you kidding? The way you were acting I thought you had failed! What are you panicking about?"

"I have to wait another six months and my rank could change at any moment. What if I don't get in?"

It's nerve racking to voice one of my biggest fears: that I don't have a plan b. Not because I am arrogant but because I honestly can't picture a life where I don't end up with a job in G.O.D. I can't be happy any other way.

She rolled her eyes. "Sakura, you've got this."

The conviction in her voice was contagious. It filled me up with a sense of pride and erased the worry that had been festering in my mind. Is she believed in me I owed her my best.

"Why you would want to work for G.O.D though I have no idea," she continued. "A bright young mind like yours shouldn't be held at ceremonial point in the decay that is G.O.D."

I smiled weakly. "Careful Tsunade, your bitterness is showing."

Tsunade was once one of the top surgeons in G.O.D. In fact she was one of the most sought after professionals in Enoch. Her disillusionment was a slow process that accumulated in 2-3 wine bottles a day until she became a rambling mess. The kicker was when they started closing the universities. In the medicine field you have to basically be apprenticed to an organisation like G.O.D to gain further education and they have control over all your future job prospects. Tsunade openly advocated against that fact and lost. 'A nation is corrupt when the pursuit of knowledge is lost in myopic momentary gain' in her words. Her defeat is forever inebriated.

It doesn't bother me how I achieve employment as long as I get to help people.

She returned my weak smile and leaned back in her chair. I try to ignore the various liquid stains on the couch and do likewise. For somebody who has lived so long her apartment is virtually empty, the sentiment of her life sold in cheap distractions and gambling debt. She has one large photo of a man on her dresser that I have been working up the courage to ask about since I was twelve. Every time she glances at it her expression turns raw and her stance slacks in defeat. My father once told me they had been in love. I suppose the past tense alliterates such pain enough.

"Are you ready for Proanacon?"

I _would_ have been glad for the subject change if the topic was not now a smouldering pile of rubble.

"Yeah... about that..."

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you are having second thoughts?"

"Oh no! Of course not. I am very grateful, excited even. It's just... there's now no Proanacon building to be ready for. It kind of got blown up."

She dropped the cup she had been holding with a heavy clunk. None of her cups are glass but bulky, clear plastic. It saves on the clean up. "What?"

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. I know she's not angry at me but when she uses that tone I become instantly apologetic.

"Are you sure?" she said strained.

"Well I just saw it happen-"

"What!?"

That makes me flinch. Her eyes critique me up and down for injury. Of course I would have told her if I was hurt, her response just a doctor's habit.

"That's why I came to see you because I was following him-"

"Who is him?"

I bite my lip. She finds out everything anyway. "...The guy that might have blew up the building."

"WHAT?!"

Now I am cowering as badly as I had during the explosion. Her rage is far more lethal. She bites her thumb furiously before rounding on me. "Of all the brain-dead, idiotic and reckless things you could have done! It's not your job to catch criminals Sakura! You are lucky you weren't killed!"

Don't hold back or anything. "I wasn't trying to arrest him," I defended unwisely. She opened a beer can while glaring at me. She really shouldn't mix drinks...

"Then what were you 'trying' to do?" she said mockingly. Sometimes I wished I had a direct link to Tsunade right before I was about to do something stupid. Her logic could have saved me from a million mistakes. What had I been trying to do?

"It's the same guy that deactivated Boss- no Matsuda's cylinder. Remember, Sasuke."

That was all I had.

"What an unhappy coincidence," she seethed. "And you just figured it was a good idea to take a stroll with the man who opened fire on your workplace."

I should just stay quiet. I should just stay quiet. "If he hadn't picked up that cylinder-"

"No one simply _picks up_ a cylinder," she cut off hotly. "Not unless they have a death wish. It's too unstable."

"Well he used his bare hands to pick it up to twist it open," I replied. "I swear."

Her face has changed from fury, smoothed itself into puckered confusion. She seems less lucid like she has received an electric shock to bring her back to attention.

"That's impossible."

She looks almost scared.

"It's what I saw."

She shook her head but not from disbelief. There is a clinical wonder, a quantifiable delight.

"And then you claim it deactivated."

"Yes."

She stands abruptly. "That's not right."

I follow her into a chaotic mess of a library. A flurry of loose leaf papers, journals and notes. The walls stretch with books and simulations. There have been too many nights that I have spent hulled up in this relic of her career, what isn't deemed current a testament to medical history. It boggles the mind to think what is considered outdated here would be cutting edge to the rest of the world. Tsunade has archived bedlam.

She buries herself in boxes, frantically searching.

"Tsunade what are you doing?"

She ignores me. I'm used to that and can always find forgiveness in the fact she is trying to achieve greatness. Everything always becomes apparent in time.

"Can I help?"

She mutters, "Not anymore... Seen before..."

"Seen what before?

Again I play second fiddle as she is wrapped up in her work. I'm guessing it is about the cylinders and that Sasuke is a factor. I am certain I have outstayed my welcome. It's impossible to talk to her when she is like this.

"Okay... well I'm going to go then."

It's late. The Skyrail will be closing soon. I'll be lucky to get the last trip to my neighbourhood. I feel heavy walking towards the door.

Before I make it I am embraced. I turn into the warmth and smile.

Tsunade smiles back.

"I'll talk to you soon alright. Stay safe."

I feel tears form in my eyes. With losing my job, not being able to pay my rent, seeing Boss Matsuda for what he truly was and stressing about my coming exam with G.O.D everything has been on top of me. Sasuke causes me a lot of trouble and sometimes I feel like I can't cope. Sometimes I just want to give up.

"We'll get through this together," she whispers. I wipe my eyes.

Sometimes the world is lonely but then I remember I have Tsunade.

* * *

**Glossary **

**(1) Proanacon:** DNA profiling service made available to workplace industries and the public.

**(2) Prophet Blast (PB):** An intense sound pressure level that reaches the human threshold of pain, used in the interest of maintaining order during riots and as alerts.

**(3) Black Code:** when a district is considered black code it is deemed dangerous and uninhabitable. Sweeps are taken by the area before it is built over.

**(4) Neph3:** a machine that scavenges and collects useful items all over the city. They are authorised to attack civilians who breech perimeter in black code areas.

**(5) Justice Trials**: A tribunal against a condemned criminal by the citizens of Enoch who can vote for the appropriate punishment. They almost always result in a public execution.

* * *

_MetaMirage: The hardest thing about a name change is going back and editing the old name out. Eventually I'll be bothered. Let me know what you thought of the chapter :)_


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